


Quicksand

by Polyhexian



Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [29]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Gen, Humanformers, POV Third Person, man a lot of foreshadowing in this bad boy huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26642419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyhexian/pseuds/Polyhexian
Summary: Brainstorm gives Rewind a call to see what's going on.
Relationships: Rewind & Brainstorm
Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859230
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Quicksand

Rewind knelt in a sea of papers, spread out across his carpet, the coffee table toppled onto its side, lamp casting ominous shadows across the wall where it had fallen into the floor like mocking figures laughing at him for having dared to think he was special. The formally written text and black and white photos surrounded him, like sludge, like quicksand, pulling him down into the dark abyss where he would never emerge. He was sinking, falling, drowning in slow motion-

Rewind's phone rang.

It snapped him out of his reverie and he shook his head, blinking, before he glanced at the caller ID and frowned. Brainstorm didn't call him often. 

"Hello?" Rewind was shocked at the sound of his own voice, gasping, cracking, clearly mid-sob. He hadn't even realized that he was crying. 

"Rewind?" said Brainstorm's voice, clearly concerned. Rewind held the phone to his ear with one trembling hand, chest heaving. 

"I'm Rewind," said Rewind. 

"Chromedome just called me," said Brainstorm gently, "How are you doing?" 

"I don't understand," Rewind said, breath shuddering, moving papers across the floor with his hands and staring at blurry black and white faces with dull eyes, "I did everything he told me to. I was everything he wanted. I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. You're a good person, and he isn't. Of course you don't understand him."

"You didn't even know him," Rewind groaned, wiping his face on his sleeve, "You have no idea what I'm talking about."

"Chromedome said that your ex went missing and you just found out that he ran away and let you think he was dead. Good people don't do that to people that care about them."

"He had no right to tell you that!" Rewind snapped, sinking down into his elbows, wrecked.

"Why is it so important that it's a secret? Why do you want to deal with it by yourself?"

"Because I'm supposed to! I was never supposed to tell anyone!" 

"For his benefit, or yours? You don't have to protect him." 

"I'm not protecting him!" Rewind curled inward like he might tuck into a ball and vanish but he stubbornly remained on the mortal plane, "I'm not. I'm… I'm just…"

"Listen, Chromedome's an idiot, but he was trying to help you. He doesn't know what it's like to have someone you love vanish, to think they're dead but not _know_. He doesn't understand."

"He had no right," Rewind sniffled, "It's _mine._ "

"He didn't. He shouldn't have. I don't think he would have if he realized that it would hurt you so much."

"I wanted to know," Rewind murmured, leaning up again to look at a photo of Dominus, older than the last time he'd seen him, happy without him, "But I didn't want it to be this."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I thought he was dead," Rewind said, voice barely a whisper, "I just wanted a body to bury."

"I know," Brainstorm said softly, "If it means anything, CD said that was what he wanted to find for you."

"Yeah," Rewind said vaguely, "I yelled at him."

"He said you threw him out."

Rewind grimaced and rolled over again with a stifled sob, "God, I _did_ , I yelled at him and I made him leave!" Rewind shook his head against the carpet, sniffling desperately, "I told him to get out of _my_ house. God, fuck."

"Are you actually that mad at him for what he did," Brainstorm asked, "Or are you upset just thinking about the whole thing and taking it out on the only person you can because you can't stand having it inside you anymore?" 

"That's… that- I don't know. Maybe. Am I?" 

"I think that you're upset at the man who lied to you, and rightfully so," Brainstorm posited, "I think you're mad that he let you suffer so long, that the system failed to dig up the truth for you, that any of this happened in the first place. I don't think you're mad at Chromedome. You were _actually_ mad at Chromedome for running away, and you were calm, cool, collected about it. You knew how to handle that anger. This is completely different. This isn't like you."

Rewind furrowed his brows. "You don't think so?"

"I don't. I think you're hurt."

Rewind blinked and sniffled. "Yeah."

"Sometimes when it hurts, you just want to push away anyone that could help you so that they can't. You want to wallow in it."

"I guess." 

"I don't think you're mad at Chromedome."

Rewind half laughed, half sobbed and rolled into his side. "I don't think I'm mad at Chromedome either."

"You should go get him then," Brainstorm told him, "He's afraid you might never let him back in." 

Rewind's heart sank into his gut and he sat up sharply. "He is?"

"You yelled at him. He can tell you're more upset than you were after he ran away. Of course he thinks that he might have broken the camel's back here."

"No, no, no," Rewind sniffled furiously, wiping tears away from his eyes, "That's not it at all!"

"I told him I would come pick him up if you wanted space, but I don't know if you actually want space."

"I don't want space!" Rewind exclaimed, "I hate space! I don't want to- God, he just _had_ a breakdown, I threw him _out-_ "

"Rewind," Brainstorm interrupted, "Hang up the phone and go tell Chromedome to come back inside." 

"He's probably not even still out there," Rewind gasped suddenly, "Oh, god, he could have walked blocks by now, I have to find him, he's-"

"He promised me he would stay put and not do anything stupid. Just open the door and ask him to come back inside. Okay?" 

Rewind took a shuddering breath and forced himself to struggle to his feet. "Okay."

"Talk to you later, Rewind. Feel better."

"Okay," Rewind repeated, hanging up and dropping the phone before he stumbled across the carpet and tore the door open.

"Domey!"


End file.
